Shloka 40
इसी प्रकार जब महाधनुर्थर द्रोणाचार्य युद्धस्थलमें अपने सारे अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंको नीचे डालकर ब्रह्मका ध्यान लगाये हुए बैठे थे, उस अवस्थामें ट्रुपद-पुत्र धृष्टद्युम्नने उन्हें बहुसंख्यक बाणोंसे ढक दिया और तलवार उठाकर उनका सिर काट लिया। संजय! इस प्रकार ये दोनों वीर छिद्र मिल जानेसे विशेषत: छलपूर्वक मारे गये ।। अश्रौषमहमेतद् वै भीष्मद्रोणौ निपातितौ । भीष्मद्रोणौ हि समरे न हन्याद् वज़भूत् स्वयम्
aśrauṣam aham etad vai bhīṣma-droṇau nipātitau | bhīṣma-droṇau hi samare na hanyād vajrabhūt svayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “I have indeed heard this—that Bhīṣma and Droṇa were brought down. For in open battle Bhīṣma and Droṇa could not have been slain by anyone, even if he were as hard and irresistible as a thunderbolt itself.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that sheer martial power is not the sole determinant in war: even the greatest warriors fall when dharma-fractures create ‘openings’ (chidra) exploited through stratagem. It invites reflection on whether victory gained through deception—especially against a disarmed or meditative opponent—can be ethically justified, and how adharma on the battlefield corrodes the very code meant to govern it.
Vaiśampāyana reports the astonishing news that Bhīṣma and Droṇa were felled—warriors considered practically unkillable in fair combat. In the immediate context, Droṇa, having laid down weapons and entered contemplation, is overwhelmed with arrows and beheaded by Dhṛṣṭadyumna, while the verse frames this as something that could not have occurred in straightforward battle.